Bangkok , Thailand -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Thai appeals court ruled Friday that suspected international arms dealer Viktor Bout can be extradited to the United States .

The court ruled that the extradition process must be completed within three months , otherwise Bout will be released .

Bout , a former Soviet military officer , was shackled in chains during the hearing . His wife and daughter were also in the courtroom . After the ruling , they stood up and cried .

Friday 's ruling came after heavy lobbying from U.S. officials .

`` We are extremely pleased that the Appeals Court in Thailand has granted the extradition of Viktor Bout to the United States on charges of conspiring to sell weapons to a terrorist organization for use in killing Americans , '' said a statement by acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler . `` We have always felt that the facts of the case , the relevant Thai law and the terms of our bilateral extradition treaty clearly supported the extradition of Mr. Bout on these charges . ''

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the Thai appeals court 's ruling as an `` unlawful , political decision '' that was `` taken under a very strong pressure from the outside , '' Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported .

`` I can assure you that we 'll do everything necessary for his return to his home country , '' Lavrov told reporters , according to RIA Novosti .

Bout had been indicted by U.S. federal authorities on a series of charges , including counts of illegally purchasing U.S. cargo planes to ferry weapons to warring parties and regimes in Africa and the Middle East .

Thai courts had previously balked at extraditing Bout to the United States on the basis of the original charges against him , which centered on his alleged efforts to send millions of dollars worth of weapons to arm guerrilla fighters in Colombia . Last year , a Thai court rejected the U.S. government 's request for extradition .

Bout was arrested in Bangkok in March 2008 after a sting operation led by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency , posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -LRB- FARC -RRB- . Bout , widely regarded as a prolific arms dealer , has been in Thai custody since .

Bout has repeatedly said he has not broken any laws and the allegations against him are lies .

He is accused of supplying weapons to war zones around the world -- from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan .

In February , a federal indictment charged Bout and an alleged co-conspirator with the illegal purchase of a Boeing 727 and a Boeing 737 , money laundering and wire fraud .

The United States charged Bout in 2008 with agreeing to sell surface-to-air missiles , armor-piercing rocket launchers , `` ultralight '' airplanes , unmanned aerial vehicles , and other weapons to FARC . Justice Department officials have sought his extradition since then .

Federal authorities accused Bout of four terrorism offenses : conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals , conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees , conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile , and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization , the designation given to FARC by the U.S. State Department .

A former Soviet air force officer who speaks six languages , Bout allegedly began building his arms business as the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early 1990s . He acquired surplus Soviet planes and , according to the U.S. Treasury Department , started shipping arms and ammunition to various conflict zones .

It is widely believed that he inspired the character of Yuri Orlov , the arms dealer played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film `` Lord of War . ''

Journalist James Hookway contributed to this report .

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NEW : U.S. welcomes the Thai court decision

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Russia 's foreign minister says decision is unlawful and political

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U.S. officials have been lobbying for Viktor Bout 's extradition

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He is charged with conspiracy to sell weapons to guerrilla fighters